Sure, whole-wheat pasta is healthy. It's also tasty, offering a bit more "chew" than the refined-starch variety. That extra texture is a plus in this chilled salad, which mixes grilled zucchini, briny Kalamata olives, tomatoes, salty feta, and basil, all of the ingredients dressed in a simple vinaigrette.

Note: Do not overcook the pasta: you want it to stand up to the vinaigrette. So, remove it from the heat when it's al dente.

Directions

1.

For the Vinaigrette: Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Reserve.

2.

For the Salad:Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover gill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.

3.

Drizzle zucchini with a little of the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and grill until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Flip zucchini and cook until charred, about 2 minutes longer. Let cool.

4.

Chop zucchini and add to a large bowl along with pasta, olives, feta, basil, and tomatoes. Add in vinaigrette, tossing, a few tablespoons at a time until well dressed. Serve immediately or at room temperature, passing more vinaigrette at the table.

This Recipe Appears In

Jennifer Olvera is the author of Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago, and she has all-but tested and developed recipes since toddlehood. She writes the Sunday Supper column for Serious Eats and regularly contributes food features to Chicago Sun-Times. She can often be found tending her garden, canning and traveling to far-flung destinations, where she writes about local edibles for pubs like Los Angeles Times and Frommers.com.

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